m2 magazine 2016

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

VISITING ADDRESS

ADDRESS

WEBSITE

COVER BY

Ellen Wallin & Beata [email protected]

Pauline Norden, [email protected]

Saltmätargatan 13-17

M2 Magazine / HHSBox 6501

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Published by the Student Association at the Stockholm School of Economics

LEGALLY RESPONSIBLE PUBLISHER

HEAD OF MARKETINGElin Hofmann

Johan Fritz

HEAD OF EVENTGabriella Thulin

Petter Reidel

PROJECT MANAGERMaja Ohlsson

VICE PROJECT MANAGERGustav Hedström

HEAD OF COMPANYEbba Gauffin

Carl Kugelberg

HEAD OF MAGAZINEEllen WallinBeata Enwall

HEAD OF SPONSORSHIPLouise Renman

Jonathan Blomstrand

Don’t forget our competition where youcan win a ticket to the M2 Banquet 2016

Hope to see you in “baren”

THANK YOUFOR READING THE MAGAZINE OF THE

STOCKHOLM SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS’ YEARLYMEDIA AND MARKETING FAIR - M2!

Enjoy our interviews with inspiring media and marketing

personalities and don’t miss out on the information

about our beloved partners and sponsors!

See you on April 20th!/The Project Group of M2 2016,

through Beata & Ellen, Head of Magazine

PhotographerLinn Persson - www.evalinns.com

C O N T E N T

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SILVER PARTNERSPRESENTATION

CASTEN ALMQVISTINTERVIEW

HALLVARSSON & HALVARSSON PLATINUM PARTNER

PETER WOLODARSKIINTERVIEW

GOLD PARTNERSPRESENTATION

ALL_BLUESINTERVIEW

SPONSORSPRESENTATION

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PROJECT MANAGERSMAJA AND GUSTAV

M2 PARTNERS 2016 M2 PRESENTS


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MCCANNPRESENTATION


MEET THE PROJECT

MANAGERS

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“BE INTERACTIVE WITH M2 2016”

When studying at a school that mainly focuses on fi nance it is easy to forget that there is more to the world than banking and management consulting. This is where M2 serves its purpose by promoting and inspiring students to a career in media and marketing. At this fair we want to show the students at SSE the fun parts of the marketing business that many had anticipated when applying. To prove that marketing is more than the endless (hopefully useful) models that

had to be memorized during the marketing course.

At the fair you will meet and connect with the most renowned companies in the business. You will also have the opportunity to listen to some of the most prominent media profi les in Sweden, that will share their deep knowledge in the subject. The fair will end with the traditional banquet at the Royal Palace, something you most defi nitely don’t want to miss! We promise you that M2 2016 will open your mind and

give you new perspectives of media and marketing.

The 20th April we welcome you to the Stockholm School of Economics and M2 2016, take the

opportunity to be interactive with M2!

Maja OhlssonProject Manager

Gustav HedströmVice Project Manager

M2 PRESENTS: PARTNERS 2016

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NINAÅKE

STAM

Equality within the faculty at SSE is at present a debated issue. Low goals set in the school’s Gender Equality Plan and a newly released book on the subject has led many to speak out on the topic. We met Nina Åkestam, one of few female PhD students at SSE and a pioneer within the subject, to talk

about her research and equality.

Soon finishing her PhD-degree, Nina Åkestam has been through and accomplished a lot for a 32-year old. In her twenties she was a rising star within the advertising world, something that led into a depression. Today

she finds joy in her marketing research.

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NINA ÅKESTAM

Nina, tell us about your research!

I am studying the effects of advertising on society. The subject started to interest me when I worked at an advertising firm and noticed it was something that hadn’t been brought up during my studies. People were asking about the effects and expecting me to know the answers, which caught me off guard. It is interesting to understand how economical effects and advertising interact almost spirally. What commercials that genuinely work and what premises that are needed, that is what I am doing research

on.

Have you learned anything about yourself while researching?

Absolutely! I have learned that I am more affected by commercials than the average person. As a white, straight, healthy and relatively young woman I am more similar to the idealized images in advertising than many other people are. This can be explained by the so-called social comparison theory, stating that people who are closer to the

”ideal” tend to compare themselves more than people further away from the ideal.

On the other hand, I have learned that in some ways I am more like others than I predicted, and in another I am more dissimilar. Something I have found is that more people than what I expected analyse and scrutinize advertising in the same way as I do, questioning stereotypes and ideals. People are positive to more diversity in com-mercials. This is not only true for people in Stockholm or Sweden but tendencies like these can be seen in the whole world. By showing that it is accepted to look different, people actually start believing it themselves, even though the general reliance in com-

mercial is rather low.

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NINA ÅKESTAM

What can you do if you feel disfavoured due to gender? Who is responsible for the change?

It is difficult to know what to do when you feel disadvantaged. At least I know I have trouble with knowing what to say in that exact moment, even though I am well informed within the subject. I still have trouble standing up for myself when facing an older man, since I have all my life learned that he dominates me. I often curse myself for not being ready-witted in these moments. I pre-fer to go back to my office and think about what really happened; I guess that’s why I became a

PhD-student.

All generations follow almost the same patterns, people want to make radical changes when they are young but the older they become the more tired they get. For a long period of time, it was believed that boards and managements would become gender equal once the bachelors in eco-

nomics where equal, something that has proved to be incorrect.

No one is solely responsible for the change; I think that it is important to raise the topic of con-versation in our everyday life. A big discussion isn’t necessary, instead it is interesting to ponder upon how situations would have been different if the other gender were in the same situation and

to discuss that with the people you spend time with.

What should you have in mind when choosing employer given that men dominate many industries?

I think that you have to go with what you are passionate about and what you like. I was shocked when I started my first job. I had always been told that men and women were equally valued, something that I found not to be true when I started working. You cannot let that stop you from doing what you want, but it is something you should have in mind. Instead, you should focus on finding a company that shares your opinions and beliefs. What companies are actually working

towards a change and have the ambition to become more diversified?

Do you have any final advice to our readers?

Not everyone has a dream of what they want to work with. Dreams are adjusted to your reality and it might take a long time to figure out what you like to do. You can always change direction and work towards your goal when you know exactly what you want to do. I would never have been able to formulate what I do today beforehand; I didn’t even know this existed! I think the worst thing to do is to freeze and stop developing. If you don’t have a clear picture of your future, just try something out. Dreams don’t fall down people’s laps; they are created when you are out

there, trying new things.

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19ALWAYS SOMETHING NEW

New relationships often start over a coffee. We are looking for talented people, interested in working with communication and business development to influence and make a change. Narva is a leading communication agency. We help brands and organizations create world-class communication that excites, inspires and drives business.

Learn more at narva.se.

Send us your application and pop over for a coffee – [email protected].

Coffee, anyone?

CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS SUSTAINABILITY FINANCIAL PUBLIC AFFAIRS DIGITAL

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BE ACTIVE AT M2 FAIR

CONFUSED STUDENT

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YOUR GUIDE TO MEDIA AND MARKETING

A FUTURE CAREER IN MEDIA AND MARKETING? USE OUR GUIDE TO FIND YOUR WAY →

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1.

BUY HIPSTER GLASSES

BE ACTIVE AT M2 FAIR

HAPPY STUDENT

CONFUSED STUDENT

2.

4. 3.

PHOTO: FANNY WIDEPALM20

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C. ADVERTISING

Advertising is often related to the more creative side of the marketing business. Advertising agencies create concepts for brands to solve problems or fulfi l the cli-ent’s vision. A typical mission for them could be to create a concept for the client to target a new market, which could be done in many ways, for example through a

clever commercial or a big creative campaign.

E. LOBBYING

Lobbying is also called public affairs. It is all about trying to infl uence authorities, or-ganizations and political decisions through direct contact with the decision makers and with the help of public opinion lead-ers through media. The work of lobbying is often achieved by presenting a concrete

solution to a problem in society.

B. MARKET RESEARCH

Market research is often a source of knowl-edge for other areas in the marketing busi-ness, especially advertising agencies. Com-panies that work with market research analyse and study customer behaviour related to a product or a service. This in-formation can be used to make decisions about the brand’s position on the market, areas of improvement, expectations etc. something that is useful when creating

marketing strategies.

D. CONTENTMARKETING

The concept of content marketing is an area that was earlier included in the work of design and advertising agencies. Content marketing agencies are working with cre-ating individual communication channels for the companies, for example catalogues, digital magazines and apps. Other areas in-clude internal communication, native ad-vertising and digital newsletters. The main task for a content-marketing agency is to design, produce and publish the material

according to the client’s demands.

A. PUBLIC RELATIONS

Public relations, often called PR, is best described as the way companies commu-nicate with the public through nonpaid forms of communicaton. The most valu-able feature in this sort of marketing is that the public regard the information as more reliable due to the fact that it is communi-cated through a neutral source. By using media platforms, PR allows companies to attain a good image and a strong relation-

ship with their customers.

STEP 5: CHOOSE YOUR AREA

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STEP 6: CHOOSE YOUR POSITION

B.

C.

Project ManagerArt DirectorCopywriterPR Advisor

Corporate CommunicatorPlanner

Consultant*

Project ManagerArt directorCopywriter

PlannerProduction manager

DesignerDigital producer

Project ManagerContent Marketing Manager

EditorPublication Strategist

Content StrategistArt Director

DesignerCopywriter

Project ManagerResearch Executive

Analyst

*Consultants can for example be specialized in:

Citizien CommunicationCrisis Management

Sustainability affairsPublic affairs

Marketing communicationCorporate reputation

D.

A.

STEP 7: WHAT SUITS YOU?

PROJECT MANAGER

In the marketing and media business the project manager often has the di-rect contact with the client and has the main responsibility for the project and the budget. The role involves a lot of leadership skills and knowledge of how to motivate people. This can be diffi cult when working with creators who need to deliver creative ideas on demand. Therefore it is favourable to be inspir-ing, forward thinking, a problem solver and to have an ability to foresee prob-lems that can appear in order to pre-

vent them from happening.

SSE Students are well prepared for the role with the general knowledge about business and leadership acquired from the education. An insight of what drives companies can be helpful to under-

stand your client.

ANALYST

The work of an analyst is varied and stimulating, as the projects are rarely alike and different perspectives and methods are needed in order to analyse the market. The role can include everything from collecting data and fi nding and processing specifi c statistics to be able to compile reports that will be sent to the client. When working as an analyst, it can be helpful to have a broad set of knowledge in many

different areas. Qualities as curiosity and being analytical are preferred.

Students from SSE are very suitable for the role due to the fact that the education corresponds to the requirements that are necessary. A general conclusion is that SSE students are ambitious and used to handle a great quantity of information,

which is valuable for analysts.

PLANNER

It is absolutely essential for the planner to understand the client. This intails outlining communication goals and identifying target audience in order to formulate a clear message for the client. The planner also conducts an external and an internal brand analysis, compet-itor analysis and position analysis. This will provide the creators with frame-work when creating an innovative and relevant communication strategy for

the client.

A planner needs to be curious, stra-tegic and innovative. It is also helpful to have an interest in people and what motivates them. SSE students learn a lot about analytical thinking and the components driving business forward,

which is useful for a planner.

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Johanna Gustavsson, Freelancing Planner: “Good communication is all about long term focus and knowledge of how to appeal to the customers on an emotional level and try to influence them the next time they visit for example ICA.”

Carl Magnus Magnusson, Analyst at Whispr Group and SSE Student: “As important as analytical skills might be, neither media nor finance industry analysts do any kind of decrypting or rocket science. Even though some analysts want to be por-trayed that way.”

Anna-Carin Enwall, Senior Market Analyst at Novus: “The part when you analyse the raw data is extremely exciting due to the fact that you never know what the results will tell you. Some projects are more strange than others, for example when we studied what customers thought about the taste of whipped cream from different brands.”

STEP 8: ASK THE SPECIALISTS!

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WELCOME TO OUR WORLD!

MCCANN.SE@MCCANNSTHLM

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CASTEN ALMQVIST

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It is a cold January morning and the sun is shining unusually bright. We are walking or rather running, eager to not being late, to our meeting with the CEO of TV4, Sweden’s largest commercial televi-sion company. After only a couple of minutes we understand that Casten Almqvist is charming, well-mannered and seems surpris-ingly stress-free for a person with responsibility over 1200 people.

“I think that it is absurdly fun to be a part of creative projects and cannot resist being engaged in for example choosing the new Idol jury. However, I must be careful not to involve myself too much in things that are outside my main responsibility, something I tell my staff all the time. We have hired people for a reason, make use of

them, delegate!”

One year into his bachelor degree at SSE, Almqvist understood that his competence lay within creative projects and decided to change direction and began studying at the journalism school in

Stockholm instead.

“After having studied a while at SSE, I understood that the creative projects within the student association were what truly interested me. I was engaged in both radio programs and the Handelsspex.”

Radio Stockholm was Almqvist’s first job after graduating at the Journalism school which led to a career in the creative media busi-ness with a wide spread of different directions. He describes his own career path as going from creating himself to leading creative people. Initially working with radio, Almqvist later went to working with television and producing tv-shows for SVT and later on also at Strix television, TV3 and ZTV. While working at TV3 and ZTV,

which both belonged to the Kinnevik group.

“I have always had anxiety when changing jobs because it has al-most never been a decision I have had to do, but instead an op-portunity that has been presented before me. Something I have learnt though is to always trust my intuition. Every time I have

acted against my gut it has not ended well.”

From SSE to CEO at TV4. The media executive Casten Almqvist thinks it is more important who you work for than

the brand itself.

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Almqvist’s career path has, as for most people, not been dead straight. After working within the Kinnevik group, he became CEO at McCann-Erickson in Sweden where he created the advertising firm Storåkers-McCann together with Michael Storåkers. Almqvist later changed direction, by becoming manager of the media de-partment at the dotcom company Spray, he personally experienced

the burst of the dotcom bubble.

“I was allured into the business relatively late and as for many oth-er companies it went very well for Spray in the late 90’s. Our hubris grew stronger; we even talked about acquiring SAS and TV4, until

March 2000 when it all collapsed.”

With overconfidence in the Internet users, many companies that were a part of the dotcom era had trouble delivering what they had promised the owners and investors, forcing them into bankruptcy.

“Jumping to the dotcom era was definitely a mistake looking back. However, I constantly tell my colleagues that mistakes are what

make people interesting.”

During our meeting, the CEO delivers words of wisdom and tips. How to balance work and private life is something he regards as crucial. According to Almqvist, he tells his staff to take time resting and working out in order to be able to give an extra 20 % when the

chips are down.

“There is a difference between doing the right things and doing things right. When choosing what company to work for, if you are fortunate enough to be able to do that, it’s more important to take in consideration who you are going to work for and not the brand itself. You can work for the most attractive firms, however, if you don’t surround yourself with the right people, the company you

work for will not mean anything.”

To plan a career in advance is something the CEO does not be-lieve in. For some people it might work, he tells us, but for most people opportunities will arise when you least expect it. Almqvist stresses the fact that the first job is not decisive; it is always possi-ble to change directions later on. Something that, when reviewing

Almqvist’s own career, is confirmable.

CASTEN ALMQVIST

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However, a trend he sees in his own business is the growing im-portance of being tech savvy. Almqvist emphasises the importance of the digitalization and explains how the altered consumer habits

have completely changed the business.

“We live in an extremely dynamic period of time. The “users” have the power of the media in their own hands. More has happened during the last three years within the business than during the last

25 years whilst I have been working in it.”

And changes have been made. Since Almqvist started working for TV4, the staff turnover has increased from 1 to 25% actually being too much according to the CEO. Nonetheless, many changes are a natural development given the increasing importance of digital alternatives to regular television, a reason why TV4’s streaming ser-vice Cmore was introduced. Almqvist explains it as a change in how consumers are labelled, going from being “viewers” to “users”.

Even though one could imagine that the radical changes within the business might be a stress factor for the CEO, he seems to have a

healthy way of dealing with work related issues.

“It is important to distinguish the difference between what’s ur-gent and what’s important. To set well-defined goals and to follow

them up is key. “

After talking to Almqvist for a bit less than an hour, we can see his assistant peeking in through the window trying to, in a discrete manner, round off our meeting. Understandable as it is, we thank the CEO for his time. Filled with, not only a great insight into the life of Casten Almqvist, but the media business in general and some advices for the journey, we leave the buzzing house of TV4, happy

to see that the sun still shines, now almost even brighter.

CASTEN ALMQVIST

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Hallvarsson & Halvarsson is one of Sweden’s leading communications advisory fi rms. Our client portfolio includes small and midsized companies as well as large corpora-tions and organisations. Hallvarsson & Halvarsson was founded in 1995, today we have

over 20 years of experience in our fi eld.

We know how to build and develop expertise that creates success. We work in corpo-rate communications, corporate marketing, CSR, fi nancial communication, investor relations and public aff airs. We are some 70 consultants with solid experience from

respective competence area.

Hallvarsson & Halvarsson comprise together with Comprend, Springtime, Involve and Jung Relations, the Hallvarsson & Halvarsson Group. Th e group consist of about 220 specialists in total that work under diff erent brands. Each one has its cutting edge ex-pertise in order for the group to respond to the needs of our customers. Our expertise includes change communication, PR and market communication, internal communi-

cation and corporate communications.

Please visit our website for more information: www.halvarsson.se/

CONFIDENCE-BUILDINGCOMMUNICATION WITH

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1. How long have you been at H&H and what did you do prior to joining?

I’ve been with H&H for eight years. Before that I was a sustainability analyst, working as an advisor and analyst for

responsible investments.

2. How do you see the CSR fi eld develop in the coming years?

Well, as there is a much more mature discussion on sustainability and CSR in society today, companies need to be-come more relevant in their communi-cation with stakeholders, truly meeting their stakeholders with concrete and relevant information in situations when the stakeholders are open to learn more or is actively looking for more informa-tion. Ideally the communication trans-forms into a meaningful dialogue, but stakeholders are only willing to engage in dialogue with companies or brands that have a meaning to them, hence again – companies’ communication need to be relevant to their stakehold-ers. Th ere is so much waiting to happen

in this fi eld!

3.What is the greatest challenge when it comes to CSR and communication?To balance hard core facts with engag-ing stories without compromising the seriousness of the matter, striking the emotional cord without risking the gre-enwash stamp. And the fact that even the best company can end up in messy situations because of their own doing or someone else’s, makes it sometimes dif-fi cult to convince companies to commu-nicate more transparently about their

CSR and sustainability struggles.

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1. What did you do prior to joining H&H?

I received my Master’s degree in Busi-ness Administration from Stockholm University in 2013. Since then, I worked with PR in Stockholm and New York before joining H&H in December 2015.

2. What is the best part of working as a Junior Consultant at H&H?

Th e variation of clients as well as the assignments continuously keeps me motivated! I learn new things every day. Because our work environment is characterized by news feeds and what is happening on the capital market and society, it happens frequently that some-thing needs to be delivered immediately. It is very exciting when you work in the centre of happenings! Also, worth men-tioning is that as a junior consultant at H&H you become a participant in YPP (Young Professionals Program) where the purpose is to make all new recruits sharper consultants. Th e duration of the programme is 12 months, so you defi -nitely get to know the fi rm better as well

as all those who works here.

3.What is the most challenging as a consultant at H&H?

Th e challenge would be to always have something in the pipeline. It is import-ant to be able to control your time and to divide it properly among all the dif-ferent projects so that the days have a nice fl ow. As a typical 90´s-born person this is something rather appealing than

terrifying.

1.What is H&Hs biggest strength? Our ability to combine a variety of spe-cialists with communication general-ists enable us to understand our clients business processes better and provide them with creative solutions to strategic communication challenges. From the beginning H&H has built its business on diversity in competencies. We have investment bankers, politicians, profes-sors, journalists, fi nancial analysts, dig-ital specialists mixed with communica-tion professionals. Th e same applies for

the expansion of H&H Group.

2. How would you describe H&H as an employer?

Professional with a heart. We employ some super bright and ambitious people striving to achieve goals and at the same time I think we are known to be quite

friendly and caring.

3. What is the best memory from your time at H&H?

One of them must be when one of our founders, Mats Hallvarsson, was at the dentist to pull a tooth. His mouth was fi lled with both instruments as well as anaesthetics as his phone rang. It was the CEO of a big company and Mats threw out the instruments and ignored the dentist eff orts in trying to keep him in the chair as he fl ew up taking the call shouting that clients always comes fi rst.

Th at’s dedication.

JOHAN RAMSTENCEO of Hallvarsson &

Halvarsson

CARINA SILBERGExecutive Director and

Responsible for H&H’s Sustainability and CSR Communication

JULIA AGHAJunior

Consultant

414040

IN THE MIND OF

PETER WOLODARSKI

4140

It all probably began when he lay in his bed as a small boy, read-ing the sport pages. The editor-in-chief of one of Sweden’s lead-ing newspapers, DN, has since a young age been curious of what is happening in our society comprehensibly leading to an interest in the latest news. Peter Wolodarski’s job might seem difficult be-ing in a business that is remarkably altered due to digitalization

— something he sees as an opportunity rather than a threat.

What is the best part of being a journalist?

To meet so many fascinating and smart people, to experience so many unique things and to be able to share this with a great group of peo-ple. That has always allured me. I believe in appealing story telling and that it will survive all technical progresses. I believe in story telling.

What do you think of the role of the newspaper will be in the future?

Digitalization is present in all businesses and the one’s that haven’t had a radical change yet will go through it sooner or later. The media business is way ahead of all other business on this note where busi-nesses that cannot adapt and change fast enough won’t be able to

survive.

Everyone can be a journalist, photographer or tv-personality today thanks to our mobile phones. This has lead to a shift of power to the individual. However, at the same time, the traditional media brands play an important role in choosing between different media channels.

People still need specific brands and profiles to hold on to.

4342

PETER WOLODARSKI

What are you doing at DN to face the upcoming digital changes?

We do many different things, the main focus of what we do is our content and we need to keep on delivering with quality. Journalism has a unique qualitative value that comes with responsibilities. We have the power to both strengthen and weaken democracy. At DN we have a fundamental loyalty of citizenship and a belief in democracy. It is deeply rooted in our DNA and what makes us DN. There are a great

lot of people that highly values that and are prepared to pay for it.

What should students think about if they want a career within the media business?

You should aim for developing uniqueness. If you have that then you can do well. Competence is of course important but it is hard being

mediocre.

You were an SSE student once, what is the greatest knowledge you take with you from that time?

I owe a lot to SSE. Among many other things I learned to process a lot of text in a short period of time and to work in a group. It was a privilege to be able to surround yourself with so many smart people. SSE has taught me to never give up and go my own way. To do what you believe in and to fight for it, then most things sort themselves out.

Not everything, but most things.

4342

Radon started 2006 with producing films. We already knew back then that in order to capture your

audience, you need to tell a great story - when doing films no less than when creating communication.

This belief is the one thing that never changed at Radon. That, and the importance of having a chef at the office - her name is Sara and she makes one hell of a ramen soup. Today, we provide all things commu-nications-related, from strategic insights to creative ideas, production and PR services - and a compelling story is still the red thread for whatever we do. But we believe that it’s not enough anymore. Our vision, for us and our clients, is to blur the boundaries between

innovation and communication with our work.

To take the first step towards this and to put our money where our (more than forty) mouths are, we launched three start-ups in addition to our day-to-day business: a clothing brand with a unique sizing system, an online print studio that automates one-of-a-kind art pieces and a service that sets out to revolutionize Stockholm’s

real estate market.

We want to show that communication can be more than talking, and that it should start earlier than with a finished product. We’d love to tell you all about it.

Come meet us!

GOLD PARTNERS

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30 MINUTES WITH THE FOUNDERS OF

ALL BLUES

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Hello Jacob and Fredrik! All Blues, what’s the story behind the name?

Jacob: When we developed the fi rst products and the fi rst packaging we only listened to jazz and blues.

When and where did you get the idea of All Blues? Jacob: Me and Fredrik met each other during high school and the idea of All Blues came up some months aft er we graduated. We shared the same interests in music, de-sign and fashion and All Blues became a platform for us in fi nding a project we could practically develop, since we, at that point, had no experience what so ever in running

a business or to develop products.

I had been in New York that summer and saw some basic bracelets in a few men’s stores. We discussed how come there were no clear men’s jewellery brand in the mar-ket. We talked about what products we wanted for ourselves but when we did the research there was no option out there. So we sat down with a piece of paper and drew our fi rst collection with a pencil and took that paper to the store owners of our two favourite Stockholm stores to get some feedback of our ideas about the products and the brand we wanted to create. Th ey both surprised us by saying that they were interested in selling the products if we found someone to produce it. Th en we just had to start. So we produced everything from the product to the packaging by hand in Fredrik’s mother’s kitchen at night and started selling it six months later in those

two stores.

Did you believe from the very beginning that All Blues was going to be successful?

Jacob: No, not at all. To be clear, it was not a real business the fi rst two-three years in that sense, since it was something we did next to our education and other extra jobs we had to take to pay the rent. You could look at it as our hobby, we did it because it was fun and because we thought it taught us stuff that could not be learnt in school.

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How do you complement each other?Jacob: As I explained before we were almost like the same person when we started All Blues and because of that we did not have separated responsibilities. We did it all together, which was good because we built the same understanding and sync be-tween us. Then I started at SSE and Fredrik started Berghs. Fredrik is now the Cre-ative Director and is responsible for all that is about the brand and the design of the product and I work as CEO with all that comes to that. What I think is good for us is that Fredrik is much interested in the business side of the company and I am just as interested in the product and the brand, which makes our work relationship dynamic

since we give feedback in both directions.

Have you ever felt like giving up? What has been your greatest obsta-cles?

Jacob: Many times. At least discussed it. There have been times when we have ques-tioned if it is worth to keep on going. And almost every time those discussions have ended up in changing things. It could be our product catalogue, it could be our busi-ness model, it could be our target customer. Like a business and brand refresh button. It’s scary to change things, but it has been one of the most important factors for us to

keep on working.

Do you have any advice for students at SSE who want to start their own business?

Jacob: Remember that everyone who runs a company has been a major rookie at one point. Talk with everyone around you about your idea, there is so much advice and help to get if you dare to ask for it. Don’t start something just for the sake of it, if you are truly interested in something it will be so much easier to focus because it will

come natural.

How do you work with marketing of All Blues? Do you have any specific strategies?

Fredrik: Our only rule, as naive as it may sound, is: If you influence the top, the rest will follow.

Do you feel comfortable with the media attention?

Fredrik: It completely depends on the person doing the interview. When we are un-comfortable, we tend to turn into half mute numnuts. But when we like the interview-er we are quite fond of it. Like the woman from SVT Kultur when they made a piece

about us, she was amazing.

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Fredrik, how do you keep your “creative fl ow” and what do you do when you run out of ideas?

Fredrik: Th ree options in descending order: 1. Read books, if that doesn’t work; 2. Plug in headphones and listen to a conversation or a presentation in a relevant fi eld. At this point I’m usually up and running, but if not; 3. Get out of the house/studio and

do something completely diff erent to get perspective.

How do you keep track of the current trends? Fredrik: We don’t believe in keeping track of trends since it per defi nition means that

you look at what’s already out there.

Do you ever feel like holding back on creative ideas in order to meet customer needs?

Fredrik: We used to, a lot. But it has been a big subject of conversation the past months and now it feels like we have fi nally let go. As a consequence the creative level of our

output will drastically increase in the next few months.

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SPONSORS

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SPONSORS

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Karlbergsvägen 36 • 113 27 StockholmTel 08-32 24 80 • Fax 08-32 30 06www.wexter.se • [email protected]

SPONSORS

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SPONSORS

Who are you?

I’m Sara Dehlin, a Stockholm based visual creator and entrepreneur.

When I was asked to help out with the cover and add with some of my art inside the M2 magazine I said yes – I always do when I can contribute

with what I love. My main skill and profession is photography though I’m

very loving of film, graphic design, illustration and fine art.

All my work is published on my website www.podiumsthlm.com that

I founded together with Laura Edman and Matilda Bakke in 2014.

What is podium?

PODIUM is a creative platform of independent publishing that offers a unique perspective on new and established talent across popular

culture as: fashion, film, photography, music and art.

It features three women and three minds with the common vision

to inspire rather than stating and challenge rather than to blend in.

The future?

Currently podium is mainly used to present our own work and offer

services in photography. In the future we want to grow as team and be able to offer skills within all of the arts, have more devel-oped communication skills and

focus on the involvement of other talented and ambitious people.

In a world where social media has made everyone think of themselves as photographers and journalists, real artists can get lost in the crowd. We met three young determined women who are

extremely talented, gathering their creative work on a digital platform.

m2 magazine 2016

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